Romi
by DarkDevon13
Summary: She was just another emotionless robot, a pointy-eared, green blooded hobgoblin... right? Wrong.
1. Chapter 1

Romi DiValdi was many things, but indecisive was rarely one of them. She stood outside the shuttle heading to Starfleet Academy, acceptance letter in one hand, and a packed bag in the other. After graduating with honors and a few PhD's from the University of Milan, she'd decided to see the stars. Starfleet seemed to be the natural choice. Yet why was she hesitating? This was what she'd wanted, right? When she'd been filling out the application everything had just felt so _right_. Like things were all falling into place, it was a feeling that she couldn't quite pin down the cause of. Her father had told her to trust her instincts, and he'd support her either way. Her mother had told her to forge her own path.

For some completely illogical reason, Romi feared that no one at the Academy would accept her. They'd call her a freak and a half- breed. The same thing had happened when she was younger, and when Romi finally snapped, it hadn't ended well. It was why her family had to move to Earth. She shook the feeling off _That was a long time ago_ she thought_ Things have changed. _Gathering her courage, she walked up the ramp into the shuttle.

After putting her bags away she headed to the second cabin and stood back while a handsome man fought with a flight officer.

"I suffer from aviophobia - it means fear of dying in something that flies!" he told her, his southern accent making Romi smile. She indulged in a chuckle but said nothing.

"Sir, for your own safety, sit down, or else I'll make you sit down!" the shorter woman told him, her expression stern. Reluctantly, he nodded and sat down.

"Thank you" she snapped, before walking away. Pike made his announcement _'This is Captain Pike, cleared for takeoff'_. Romi quickly took the only seat available; the one in front of the man who had now turned to a guy in a leather jacket.

"I may throw up on you" he told him, putting on his safety belt. Romi did the same. She quirked an eyebrow but again said nothing.

"I think these things are pretty safe" the cute blonde next to him told him, looking more than a bit confused.

"Don't pander to me, kid. One tiny crack in the hull and our blood boils in _thirteen seconds_. Solar flare might crop up, cook us in our _seats_. And wait till you're sitting pretty with a case of Andorian shingles, see if you're so relaxed when your _eyeballs_ are bleeding. Space is disease and danger wrapped in _darkness_ and _silence_" he lectured, or ranted, depending on one's perspective. She chuckled again, and bit back a snort.

"What?" he asked, defensive.

"Please, you have a better chance of making out with a Vulcan than dying in a shuttle craft."

"Yeah, well that doesn't mean it still can't happen," He grumbled.

"And, I hate to break this to you, but Starfleet operates in space" The blonde told him, looking slightly fed up, before his attention was caught by the flask the handsome, dark haired man had pulled out.

"Yeah, well, I got nowhere else to go; the ex-wife took the whole damn planet in the divorce. All I got left is my **bones**" Why do all the hot men have to have crazy eyes? Romi wondered this as the blonde looked unsure as to whether to smile or frown… or look even more confused; his eyes following the flask until the other man offered it to him and he accepted with a slight nod.

"Romi DiValdi," she offered.

"Jim Kirk" the blonde told the man, holding the flask up for a mere second and taking a drink.

"McCoy, Leonard McCoy" He said to both of them, but he was looking at her. Romi smiled at him. He smiled back. She nervously scratched her ear. The two men suddenly stared at her. _Damnit_.

"Wait, you're a _Vulcan?_" McCoy said, startled.


	2. Chapter 2

_Fixed the errors, Fanfiction was messing with my grammer Also, found out McCoy's ex was named Jocelyn_

* * *

Romi cursed whatever non-existent deity the humans used to worship. She took a deep breath. "Yes, and no,"

The two men just gave her a confused look. Romi explained. "I'm half human,"

"Ah," was all that Jim said. McCoy just continued to stare. Romi decided to go on a pre-emptive strike before he could.

"Listen up, McCoy, if all you're going to say is that I'm a 'pointy-eared, green-blooded, half-breed' don't even bother opening your mouth. I've heard it all before."

"I wasn't going to-"

"Yes you were," She could, after years of bullying, tell when someone was about to insult her, it was a gift. She decided he was no longer worth her notice.

"So, Jim, you're from Iowa. Tell me about that."

The rest of the shuttle ride continued as such. Jim and Romi talked while Leonard sat there and desperately tried not to puke. And also tried not to notice how cute Romi's laugh was. Like the chime of tiny bells. _Wow_ he must really be hammered if he was thinking about that romantic crap.

Besides she was a _Vulcan._

_Half Vulcan,_ that little irritating voice in the back of his head reminded him. _Fine, half Vulcan_. But alien or not he was still just recently divorced and it would be a while before he was ready for any kind of relationship. Jocelyn had ensured that. A wave of nausea went through him, and it wasn't just due to the shuttle ride.

He turned his attention back to Jim, the kid was laughing at something the girl had said.

"Cute, Pixie, cute," he said.

"Well, to be fair he _did_ apologize later, but yeah it was pretty cool at the time."

* * *

Though in reality the shuttle ride from Iowa to San Francisco only took about two hours, to Leonard McCoy it took a small eternity. Not only did he have to deal with his aviophobia, but also with Kirk trying to charm his way into Ms. DiValdi's pants. It was annoying. Almost as annoying as the nickname the kid had given him _Bones_. He just hoped it wouldn't stick. Especially now given that they were _roommates._

_Just a shitty end to another shitty day _he thought. God, why did that girl suddenly go so ballistic on him? He hadn't done anything!

_It wasn't anything you did_ the irritating voice said._ It was what you were going to do._

Damn that little voice. Honestly, the reason he hadn't said anything was more _how _she was a hybrid rather than a Vulcan. Inter-species relationships were uncommon, and Hybrids were even more so. Would he have said anything? In retrospect he probably would've. He didn't consider himself a racist, but there was something about Vulcans that always rubbed him the wrong way. He had gone to med school with one, and one of the many things that always annoyed him was how they always seemed to be more concerned with the diseases rather than the patients. As if it they were nothing more than a puzzle to be solved. Nothing more than 'logical' robots.

As he lied down on the bed, trying to forget about a certain half Vulcan, he pulled a photograph out of his pocket. It was one of his daughter, Joanna. God, she was such a sweet girl. Had just turned two and was starting to form baby sentences. He smiled, he hadn't done that very much lately. Joanna was by far the best thing to come out of his marriage. She looked like him, with brown hair and big blue eyes. She still hadn't lost all her baby fat, but that just served to increase her cuteness factor. For a long time she was the only reason he hadn't left before Jocelyn did. It would be a long time before Leonard McCoy realized that getting served divorce papers would be one of the best things that had ever happened to him.

* * *

Romi DiValdi stared up at her ceiling fan, watching it go around in circles. She was trying to go to sleep and failing miserably. For some inexplicable reason, she couldn't get Leonard McCoy out of her head. His southern accent, his crazy eyes, even the was he inadvertently made her laugh. He had look so… hurt when she had brushed him off.

_Better him than you_ she thought. At least she hadn't gone ballistic. _That_ would've been bad. When she was eight years old, she was attending school on Vulcan. She had hated it there to say the least. The lack of emotion always freaked her out and a group of upperclassmen had decided since she was a 'half-breed' she had no place there. One day, they had gone too far, and she'd lost her temper. Two of them ended up having to go to the hospital. Her parents had argued, they thought she couldn't hear them, but she could.

"_I told you, bringing Romi to Vulcan was a mistake,"_

"_She does seem to be ill-suited to this cultural norm,"_

"_Cultural norm? T'Kohl, she has no friends, and she hates it here! And clearly the feeling is mutual." _There had been a silence._ "Listen, I can get my job back on the force in Milan, it'll be just like old times, mi amore."_

"_You think so?" Her mother had asked._

"_I know so. Besides, if I have hear how illogically emotional I am over my daughter one more time, I'll break someone myself."_

"_That would be an amusing sight, my husband."_

So, the next day they had packed up and gone back to Earth. Her mother, who was a virologist, quit her tenure at the Vulcan Science Academy and was then employed by the University of Rome. For a while, Romi had never fully appreciated how much her mother had given up for her family. And how much Lorenzo DiValdi had given up for his wife to go to Vulcan in the first place. He had hated it there almost as much as she had.

Romi closed her eyes. Thinking about the past wouldn't change anything. Neither would thinking about a certain crazy-eyed human that made her laugh.


	3. Chapter 3

_Huge thanks to my beta, Desi_

* * *

Though application to Starfleet Academy was open to all citizens of all Federation worlds, Spock had noticed that the majority of the cadets attending were human, male, and Caucasian. For these reasons, the presence of a female cadet- and a Vulcan at that- stood out at Lt. Commander Spock's first _Introduction to Phonology _of the school year. She asked relevant and discussion-worthy questions, cementing her status as one of only ten first year students taking his class which showed any true promise in the field of xenolinguistics.

He gave her no special attention, but Spock was pleased by her presence.

* * *

The _Introduction to Phonology _syllabus was to familiarize students with the Romulan, Klingon, and Tholian languages, the three major species which the Federation were on antagonistic terms with. The end of semester assignment included an oral and written exam to gauge the Cadet's proficiency and understanding of the three languages.

Eventually, he came across the other Vulcan's exams. Spock queued the oral one first. He was surprised to find that her Romulan was perfect, to say the least, with hardly a hint of an accent, though that could be accredited to their native language. Vulcan was extremely similar to Romulan, it was hypothesized the two species had made significant contact at some point in history.

Still, her proficiency with the language was advanced, she must have had a tutor at some point in time.

Spock found this interesting, and opened up her academic file in hopes of finding illumination there.

Name: DiValdi, Romisha Maria

Age: 21 Terran years

Species: Vulcan- Human Hybrid

Place of Residence: Milan, Italy, Earth

Education: PhD in Astrophysics, PhD Experimental Physics University of Milan

Specialization: Navigations

_Interesting , _when members of his father's race enlisted in Starfleet, they most often choose a career in science or engineering. But, like him, Cadet DiValdi was half human, it was interesting for him to know that there was another like him, that he was not the only child born to a Vulcan and a Human, though obviously her human heritage was paternal, as opposed to his maternal side of the family. He went back to her oral assignment.

Unlike her Romulan, her Klingon was accented, not so much as her pronunciation of the language was not understandable, but so much as that he detracted points.

As Tholians were a non-humanoid species, pronunciation was nearly impossible, even to the most gifted xenolinguist. Understanding the language was the main requirement. That she did proficiently, though her understanding of gender-neutral pronouns left something to be desired.

Next was her written exam, her topic was the similarities between the Vulcan and the Romulan languages, it was nicely written, and thoroughly researched. Rounding up the four areas brought the Cadet a clean 92.3%, one of the highest scores he had awarded in his three years of tenure at the Academy.

* * *

Though it was at the end of the semester, Romi was in the library. She'd always found it relaxing in there, the quiet. Her Transporter theory and Stellar cartography classes had gone well, it was Intro to Phonology that she was worried about. Professor Spock was one hard ass of a teacher, and grading was brutal, according to Uhura, who lived across the hall from her. She had in her earbuds and was listening to music; the 1970's was a fascinating era of music for Earth. She wasn't fond of disco, though, that genre just confused her.

She was drawn from her thoughts by a poke on the shoulder, startling her. Romi's fist went flying backwards and impacted into one James T. Kirk's face.

"Oh my god, Pixie!" he said, cupping his now bleeding nose, "I think you broke it!"

"Oh, _Madre di Dio_! I am so sorry, Jim. You just startled me,"

"Yeah, remind me to never do that again," She took his arm and helped him up.

"Come on, I'm taking you to the infirmary,"

* * *

McCoy was in a bad mood, well, no worse than usual. Dr. Perry had left him in charge of the Academy clinic, and he was going to be damned if he let the place slip up under his watch.

"Dr. McCoy," a blonde nurse, Chapel, asked.

"Is it Kirk again?" she nodded. "Can't that kid go two weeks without catching something? What is it this time?"

"Looks like a broken nose, I could do it if you want,"

"No, no I'll handle it," Jim _was_ his goddamned roommate, and his friend wither he liked it or not. Chapel turned to walk away, then thought of something and turned back to him.

"A girl brought him in, a real cute one too," McCoy rolled his eyes. Ever since Christine had found out he was divorced, she'd been pushing him to get out there again. Plus, he was pretty sure the nursing staff had a pool going for how long he could hold out.

He went over to Jim's biobed, the kid was clutching his nose, and a cute girl was with him. Distantly he saw her short blonde hair, long legs, tiny body, pointed ears…. Shit. Pointed ears. Steeling himself for another shouting match with one Romi DiValdi, he tried to ignore her. All semester they had been fighting, though they didn't have any classes or instructors in common, they were always bumping into one another. Usually because of Jim.

_At least she fights fair _he thought, eyeing over Jim's chart. Fighting with her was a lot different than fighting with his ex wife. Jocelyn had always been calm, cool, and collected, which drove him nuts. _The Ice Queen, _he remembered. Romi was the exact opposite, she was all fire and dynamite, getting into his face and not apologizing for it. The machocistic side of him, the one who'd stayed married to the Ice Queen despite being utterly miserable, actually kind of liked it. Fighting with Romi was exhilarating and exciting, giving him a semi-high even hours after the fight had ended. He turned his attention back to Jim.

"What was it this time? Copped a feel on a member of the rugby team again?" He asked, pulling a medical scanner out of the supply closet.

"No, made the mistake of scaring Pixie,"

"_Startling _Kirk, learn the difference." Leonard turned around,

"You did this?" he asked.

"Combat training plus a Vulcan pedigree a lethal woman make," Jim said. Bones scanned him.

"It's a clean break, so I won't have to set it, should heal up in a few weeks,"

"Come on, Bones, can't you use some sort of quick fix-it?" McCoy frowned, and then purposefully pinched the bridge of the kid's nose. Jim groaned in pain. It was more than a little gratifying.

Suddenly, a balding man in an Instructor's uniform burst into medbay. "Doctor DiValdi!" he demanded.

The girl turned around, unfazed and unsurprised. "Wait, you're a doctor?" Kirk asked.

"Not that kind of doc," she turned her attention to the Instructor. "Professor Krammer, how can I be of assistance?"

"Doctor DiValdi, your thesis paper on the application of transporter technology to the use of _holograms _is completely preposterous!"

"So you seek me out in the middle of day to tell me that?" the guy turned a deep shade of red.

"Don't paly coy with me, girl. Your thesis completely destroyed my paper on the use of _replicators _for the extrapolation of holograms!" She rolled her eyes.

"If you can't take a little competition, Krammer, don't play the game," if even possible, the man turned an even deeper shade of red.

"You know, _this _is why you're only second in the class, Chekov isn't such a smart ass." Romi shrugged.

"Good for him. Now if there isn't anything else, I'll see you on Monday." She turned around to ignore him. Krammer stomped out of medbay.

"Wow, that was fan-freaking-tastic," Jim said, wide eyed. Romi shrugged.

"Krammer's an ass. He tried to teach about the Higgs-Boson particle without proper knowledge of Doctor Higgs' theories." She briefly forgot that they weren't engineering or navigations majors. "Never mind," she sighed.

"Hey, would you like to, you know, hang out with us tonight?" Romi thought about it, she had planned on calling her parents in Milan, but she could always do that tomorrow.

"Sure, why not?"

"Awesome, there's this place called the Eagle's Nest, you know it?"

"Sort of, "

"Great, we meet up there in two hours, drinks are on me. Bones, you in?" He was probably going to be dragged there anyway, so he might as well save himself some trouble and just suck it up and go.

"Fine," he grumbled.


	4. Chapter 4

Romi Ch. 4

The night had been going well, Romi had refused any alcohol, nursing a Coca-Cola. "Vulcan, remember? As in can't get drunk. So there's not really a point to it," They couldn't fault her logic. She was deemed the designated driver and he and Bones were slowly getting drunk, and getting to know her better. All part of his maniacal plan to get them together. They were his two best friends, they should at least be in the same room without shouting at each other. Right now, Bones was in the restroom, so it was just the two of them right now.

"Oh, _merda,_" Romi said, looking behind Jim,

"What?"

"Sam Price, my ex, he's a total ass." She sighed then turned her attention back to him, "If he comes over here I will pay you five latinum if you pretend to be my boyfriend,"

"Deal," Just then, the ass in question came over.

"Romisha? Romisha Divald,. I never thought I'd see you again,"

"Sam, no not since my father had you arrested for trespassing on our yard," She hoped to not so subtly remind him of her father. Lorenzo DiValdi could be intimidating, and had never approved of his only daughter dating.

"Well, to be fair I did go a little far that night, but still it's strange seeing you after all this time, last I heard you were working with Professor Makarov on the theoretical development of stable wormholes."

"That was two years ago, he changed his focus, he's working P vs nP, thing hasn't been solved in three hundred so years, don't see how he can," She shrugged, "Oh, how rude of me, Sam, this is Jim Kirk," she wrapped her arm around his, "Jim, this is Sam, my _ex _boyfriend" she put a special emphasis on the word ex as to remind Sam how bad she had dumped his sorry ass.

"A pleasure," they shook hands, but Jim could tell the guy's smile was forced. "So, what are you doing in San Francisco?"

"We're attending Starfleet Academy, Jim's Command track, I'm Navigations,"

"Navigations? That seems to be well suited for you," Romi could read between the lines, he was saying she wasn't good enough for Astrophysics. Her temper flared, the same one that had put those Vulcan girls in the hospital all those years ago. She stamped it down.

"What about you? Last I heard you were scrubbing the bottoms of gondolas in Venice?" Jim recognized that voice. That was the (rhymes with witches) voice, the one she used when you were really starting to annoy her.

The guy didn't get the warning, "I finished my community service a long while ago, I'm working with Professor Kramer, perhaps you know him?"

She cocked an eyebrow, and adopted what her friend Judith had called the 'Vulcan face' she lacked the benefit of having pointed eyebrows, but the ears certainly added to the effect. "Seriously? The extrapolation of _replicators _to holograms? I know you're an idiot, Sam but I didn't think you were that stupid,"

His face darkened, "The science is sound,"

"What science? It's little more than a half-baked theory he's holding onto out of intellectual stubbornness,"

"And you're just opposing it because everything you don't agree with just _has_ to be wrong, doesn't it _Romisha?_" Her eyes darkened, he knew how much she hated being called by her full name.

"Your statement is completely illogical," she said, holding in her temper, "You're annoying me. Leave. Now" No one noticed Bones coming out of the bathroom, all eyes were on the Vulcan and her Ex.

"I can do what I want, you little Halfling,"

McCoy may not exactly be the prime example of this, but where he came from, you treated a woman with respect. "Excuse me," McCoy asked, the guy turned around. He punched the SOB right in the face. He staggered back.

"Son of a-" Romi then did a kick to the groin. The guy was on the ground. Then as Jim would colorfully put it, the shit hit the fan. Eagle's Nest wasn't exactly a hot spot of illegal activity, but the patrons did enjoy a good bar fight every now and again.

Chairs and furniture flew across the room, Romi was having fun, using some of the simple stuff from her hand-to-hand combat class. It didn't seem fair to use Andorian strangleholds on tipsy civilians. However, it was very cathartic, and Jim seemed to be right in his element. After a few minutes, the bartender threatened to call the cops and everybody scattered, including Jim and Romi.

* * *

Not wanting to deal his tipsy roommate right now, and partially punishing him for making him go out tonight in the first place, McCoy locked the door, Jim was constantly forgetting the code when he was _sober_ so he was safe. Needing something to do to pass the time, he decided he would call his dad, David McCoy.

"Have you gotten into a bar fight?" even a couple thousand miles away, the man could read him instantly.

"Yeah," he said, not even trying to deny it.

"Who started it? That roommate of yours?" Bones grimaced; he wasn't going to enjoy this. Why did he feel like a teenager all of a sudden?

"No, it was me," He waited for the inevitable scolding, and was surprised when it didn't come.

"If you were younger and still living at home I would've nocked you upside the head for being such an idiot. But you're a grown man Leonard, and I guess I don't have the right to scold you like a child any more." That was a relief.

His father took a sip of his coffee, it was early morning in Mississippi. "So," he said, conversationally, "Who's the girl?"

Len was surprised, "There's no girl, dad," he sighed.

"Really, because I've only known you to get into a fight when it was over a girl or a patient. And you sure as hell weren't on call,"

He decided to give in, his dad would find out anyway, "Her name's Romi, but it's not what you think. Her ex was being a bit un-gentlemenlike and I was just-"

"Defending the girl's honor. I'm strangely proud," Another sip of his coffee. "So, this Romi girl have a last name?"

"DiValdi, Romi DiValdi,"

"Ah, an Italian lass. Be careful, son, those girls have one hell of a bite to them, and can get jealous as hell," Leo rolled his eyes, first Chapel now his dad. "DiValdi… any relation to a Doctor T'Kohl DiValdi?"

He shrugged, "She's half Vulcan so it's certainly possible,"

His dad gave him a knowing look, Len ignored it. "Yeah, her daughter would be about your age. I met her at a medical conference on Mars colony awhile back. Lovely woman and a great doctor. Virologist to be precise," Len sat back and said nothing, when his dad was telling a story, there was no point in trying to stop him. "And actually not a bad conversationalist- as far as Vulcans go. Her husband and daughter came with; I don't think I've met a man who looked as intimidating as Mr. DiValdi. That made your mother feel a lot better,"

"Why?"

"You may be immune to it given your less than pleasant experiences with Vulcans, but most people find them quite attractive. Anyways, during the conference three rouge Romulans broke in to their rooms." David McCoy paused for a moment. "She killed them, Leonard."

"What?" he was genuinely surprised. "Aren't Vulcans dead set against that kind of thing?"

His dad shrugged, "Not to the point of stupidity. Don't think they ever found out why they were there… Anyways it was a little disconcerting to talk to her afterwards, knowing she could break your neck with one hand. But given her family was in danger, no one blamed her." He took another sip of his coffee. "Girl couldn't have been more than three or four at the time, so she wouldn't remember."

"Wow," That was all Leonard McCoy could really say to that.


	5. Katniss

_Was in a good mood, and got a lot of writing done, hope you enjoy!_

* * *

Romi woke up that morning with a hung-over cadet in her bed and a cat snuggled in between her breasts.

After the bar, Len had locked Jim out of their room. Not having a roommate and needing to pay that five latinum back, she let him crash at her place. Nothing had happened. Hell they hadn't even changed out of their clothes from last night. Well, Jim had taken his shirt off, but Romi had _no_ complaints there. Besides, Jim had finally gotten to the 'look, don't touch' through his head in regards to her.

Katniss was another story. The little munchkin-breed cat with rug-hugger legs was a gift from her college roommate, Judith. The kitten had wiggled its way into her heart with its itty-bitty legs, and Romi had taken her with to San Francisco.

"D'Aww," was all she could say to the cat. Romi couldn't get mad with Katniss' obsession with her breasts, without a boyfriend, it was nice to know that _someone_ appreciated them. "Have you been snugglin' between ma-ma's breasts again?" the cat meowed. She picked her up off her chest. "Good, cause you can do that _whenever _you want."

"Mmmm. That's nice to know," Jim mumbled, still mostly asleep. Leonard did complain the kid slept like a rock. Katniss meowed again, and jumped onto Jim's chest, snuggling up to him. Jim snored on, completely unaware. Finding that picture completely adorable, Romi grabbed her PADD of her bedside and snapped a few pictures. She could probably use it for blackmail material later.

Changing into some comfortable jeans and a loose t-shirt, she decided to call her parents.

Her father came up first. Obviously having just got off work, his tie was askew and his jack thrown onto the couch. He was in his mid 50's, with salt and pepper hair and a light tan. He looked as if he was keeping in shape. Despite his age, his eyes hadn't lost their playful twinkle.

In short, what every good Italian man should look like.

"_Bonjourno, Papa," _Romi greeted him in their native language. Her father quirked an eyebrow, a trait he had gotten from his wife.

"_It's a little late for Bonjourno, sweetie, it's six in the afternoon here."_

"_Sorry papa, I forgot the time difference. It's nine in the morning here. Is Mamma there?" _she asked.

"_Give me a second, T'Kohl! Romi's on the line! She wants to talk to us!"_ Romi smiled.

_How many times do we have to tell you, it's completely unnecessary to yell? We can easily hear you," _she gestured to her pointed ears. Her dad shrugged.

"_Old habits I suppose," _T'Kohl DiValdi entered the screen, a cup of spice tea in hand. As always, she looked the part of a proper Vulcan lady. _T__hough she certainly didn't dress like one_, Romi thought, looking at her mom's pressed, yellow blouse. Most Vulcans she'd met wore robes of some kind.

"_Yes, Romi?" _she asked, her Italian as good as her husband's.

"_My semester finales are over, I was thinking you two would like to hear about it. I haven't opened the results yet."_

"_Of course,"_

"_Naturally," _Her parents responded. Romi took a deep breath and pulled out the communiqué.

"_Stellar cartography- 99.32% Cadet DiValdi demonstrates knowledge and understanding of the subject matter that goes above and beyond the course material."_

"_That's great, sweetheart," _her dad said.

"_You should delay congratulations until she has finished," _his wife gently reprimanded, but Romi could tell her mother was glad.

"_Combat training- 96.52%" _She looked at her parents, _"I was sick the day we went over Tellarite bone-grabs"_

"_Ah, proceed," _her mother said, taking a drink of her tea.

"_Advanced Astrophysics- 99.57% no complaints there. Warp thermodynamics- 92.37% It is regrettable Cadet DiValdi does not pursue a career in engineering rather than Navigations," _She smiled as she translated the instructor's note into Italian. She hesitated with the last two.

"_Introduction to Phonology- 91.32% that's a relief,"_

"_How so?" _her dad asked.

"_Professor Spock is a notoriously rigorous and uncompromising instructor. I was afraid my Klingon wasn't good enough."_

"_You're a navigator, not a translator, I'm sure it's just fine,"_

She raised an eyebrow, _"'Just fine' doesn't cut it with Mr. Spock, dad, anyway for the grand finale…. Transporter Theory- 88.21%!? Unbelievable."_ She huffed.

"_Any explanation as to why you got the grade?" _Romi hesitated to look over Kramer's notes, the man hadn't exactly stormed off because he was in a good mood.

"_Student shows little promise in the practical application of transporter theory, is argumentative and disruptive in class, thesis was unfounded. Recommended transfer to another career path, perhaps security. Bullshit," _she spit out.

"_Hey, you may not be living in our house but you're not too old that I can't wash your mouth out with soap, young lady," _her dad warned.

"_Sorry Papa, it's just- Kramer's_ _pet project is the extrapolation of replicator tech to try and build holograms. My thesis paper was on how transporter tech was a more realistic option, he didn't like that"_

"_How much did he not like that?" _her dad asked, going into 'investigator' mode. Romi sighed, _Old habits, remember._

"_Dad, this isn't a murder investigation, Kramer just got a little upset and confronted me about it after finales,"_

"_Romi, did you intentionally provoke the man?" _her mother asked.

"_No, I merely stated 'if you can't handle a little competition don't play the game' then he called me a smart-ass and marched off."_

T'Kohl gave her own mom version of the Vulcan stare, the one that said 'I already know what happened so you might as well confess,' _"Romi," _was all she said, it wasn't a question.

"_Fine, I may have jabbed at him, but the guy was an jacka- a total idiot."_ She caught herself just in time.

"_Romi, you're no longer a child, you can no longer intentionally aggravate your instructors"_

"_But mom-"_

"_No 'buts' young lady, you heard your mother. Anyways, the guys at the precinct have been asking about you," _Her dad said, changing the subject with the practiced ease that had come with living with two strong willed women for a significant period of time.

Romi smiled, _"Did they get the cake I sent? I hope they didn't_ _mind I was using them to experiment the use of a new food preservation process,"_

"_Detective Paggi said he liked it, and so certainly did the DA,"_

"_Dad, did you try to get a warrant using my cake?"_

He shrugged, _"What? It was good cake." _T'Kohl looked as if she would roll her eyes.

"_Lorenzo, you're the Sargent of the Precinct now, you have to stop being so childish,"_

He kissed her on the cheek, _"I thought you loved that about me," _he then started nuzzling her neck. Romi rolled her eyes. How can two people who've been married for twenty years still act like they're in their twenties?

"_Regardless we cannot-" _he cut her off with a big kiss on the lips.

"We'll_ call you back later, Romi. Love you,"_

"_Love you too, Papa," _she signed off before she saw anything that would be cause for some serious mind- bleaching. She'd had to do that enough during her childhood. Her parent's match had never been the most obvious one. Her dad was a cop in Milan, a loving, emotional, big-tough guy. Her mother, was, well, her mother. T'Kohl could be very affectionate, in private of course. It came with the territory.

They had met when T'Kohl was attending a medical seminar in Milan; her dad had been a newbie back then, still on traffic control. He described it as 'love at first sight' and had asked her out after chasing down a kid who'd taken her briefcase that had contained her research notes.

She had said she only agreed to go out on a date with him for the sake of 'illogical human custom'. The rest, as they say, is history. Her grandma had told her that night, after he walked T'Kohl to back to her hotel room (_as any fine Italian gentlemen should, _Nonna had said) he'd called her up and said that he'd met the girl he was going to marry. (Neglecting to mention she was Vulcan, of course).

Romi sighed. Now, here they were, twenty-odd years later, happily married and probably having sex on the couch right now. She wanted that, someone who'd accept her for all her faults, someone that could make her laugh, would tell her when she was wrong, would fight with her just to show that he still cared, but would still crawl into bed with her at night and call her _mi amore._

She traced the tip of her ear. Unfortunately, any guy she'd previously like who hadn't been scared immediately away by the pointed ears, had turned out to be either an insufferable ass, like in Sam's case, or unavailable, remembering the Betazoid she'd dated in high school who was sort of engaged since childhood and had neglected to tell her. Until he was called back to his planet to get _married _of course.

Kirk was stirring; she supposed she'd have to drag him back to his room soon.

"What the-?"Katniss meowed. "Oh my god, Pixie, your cat has such tiny legs!"


	6. That Sucks In more ways than one

_It took a couple tries before I was happy with this chapter, I hope you all enjoy it. Reviews are love!_

* * *

James T. Kirk, having showered and re-dressed himself, was unceremoniously dragged back to the boy's dorm room. Romi, despite her pixie-like looks and demeanor, had the strength of an ogre.

And his roommate had the disposition of one.

"Do you have any idea how much of an idiot you are, Jim?" Bones began lecturing him after Romi escorted him to their room

"Says the man who actually _started _a bar fight," Jim countered. Bones, if possible, turned a deeper shade of red, out of anger or embarrassment Jim didn't know. Neither of them noticing the tiny hybrid going through their things.

"You guys have such a small closet," Pixie said.

"Yeah, well guys are different," Bones tried to explain, "We don't need all the frilly stuff you do," this was obviously a conversation he'd had before.

An idea blossomed in Romi's head, and as a board-certified genius when she got an idea, she didn't ignore it.

"This is pitifully small, and as a resident of Milan, I cannot allow such a travesty to go on," the guys stared at her like she'd grown a third eye right in the middle of her forehead.

"Listen, I have nothing to do for the rest of the day, and when I'm bored, I'm destructive. So unless you want your closets to be filled with Saurian frogs and your showers automatically set to boiling, you'd better go along with it," though her tone was dismissive, there was a very real threat behind it. They dared not disobey.

* * *

Bones had gone through the whole shopping thing with Jocelyn, he expected for her to do everything, completely ignore his opinion, and throw things at him to try on wither he liked them or not. And awkwardly holding her purse.

Turns out, not so much. Romi had dragged them, but to places that actually had things that they liked. And while she did throw things at them to try on, they usually, truth be told, looked good in them. Jim being Jim tried to get her to model a sexy black number for them, she'd given him a look that made the blood in McCoy's veins freeze, and it hadn't even been directed at him.

Other than that though, everything had gone pretty smoothly.

Until McCoy had walked in on her changing. Wanting to get a second opinion on a pair of pants he was debating on. Romi must've accidently left the door unlocked. She wasn't wearing a black lacey set or a thong or anything, hell, his motherprobably wore more provocative underwear (not that he ever wanted to know what underwear his mother wore, ever). But, being human he couldn't help but feel a little aroused. Practically running out of there before she realized he was peeping, he went all the way to the men's room before he was stopped.

_Damnit, Damnit, Damnit, Damnit, _he kept thinking, only so he wouldn't think about what he'd just saw. McCoy was, deep down, a southern gentleman, and gentlemen did _not _think about a woman undressing. But, he had to admit, she had a nice figure, certainly not curvy or ice pick straight, but a nice balance in between. Her breasts weren't huge but seemed to be just right for-

Stop it. Stop it now.

He was just thrown off, that's all. After getting married he and Jocelyn had only had strictly procreation sex, and while Joanna was the best thing that ever happened to him and he was fond of children, it wasn't exactly satisfying. Plus, he had to do all the work anyways. Romi probably wouldn't be like that. She'd probably be all over him like syrup on pancakes, with boundless energy and total abandon and-

Seriously. Stop it.

Jim was right. He needed to get laid. Unfortunately, he had standards. The biggest being he wasn't a 'boom, bam, thank you ma'am' type of person. He also had to like the girl, _really _like her. 'Like-like' his mom had used to put it. And he didn't really like Romi. As much as she acted otherwise, she was still a green-blooded, pointy eared hobgoblin, only just a different kind…right? _Wrong, _the tiny voice inside his head shouted. She was pushy and stubborn as hell, but so was he. She pushed him to do better, in her own way, she made him think, forced him to go outside the box. His dad was right, Italian girls had one hell of a bite. Thinking of her bite made him think of other things, like that little mouth of hers wrapped around-

Seriously man, what is _wrong _with you?

McCoy hoped he wasn't as red faced as he felt when he eventually stepped out of the men's room. He tracked the two to over by the checkouts, Jim flirting with the cashier, obviously.

"Hey, where'd you disappear off to?" Romi asked. McCoy shrugged,

"Browsing, mostly,"

"Find anything you like?" she asked, pulling out her charge card. _Hell yes, _his inner voice responded.

"Nothing much,"

* * *

"Uh, Romi, a cat's in your underwear drawer," Romi looked up from her sweet and sour chicken.

"That's just Katniss, she's fine," They come from the store straight to Romi's dorm room, and were currently chowing down on some Chinese take-out.

"But, won't your underwear get all hairy?" she shrugged.

"She doesn't shed that much, besides, I take her out, she jumps right back in."

"Your cat has an unnatural obsession with breasts," Bones commented.

"Not really, just mine." He gave her a questioning look. Jim signaled for him to drop it. Romi caught it anyway.

"Hey, I have no boyfriend and haven't had sex in over two years, it's nice to know that _someone_ appreciates them."

Jim stared at her in shock, "You haven't had sex in two years?!" Figures the kid would pick up on that part. Then again, the guy thinks a week without getting any counts as a dry spell.

Romi shrugged. "Yeah, not since I broke it off with my fiancé"

"You were engaged? What happened?"

"We were in two very different places, I wanted to travel, explore the universe, he wanted kids. I could barely take care of myself, imagine me trying to take care of a kid," she sighed, a far-off look in her eye, "And that's assuming we even could have kids,"

"What do you mean?" this peeked Bones' curiosity, as a doctor of course.

"As you know, Vulcans have copper-based blood, and humans have iron. Though the DNA is compatible, if I were to gestate a fetus, it would also have to have copper-based blood, otherwise the kid would've died of copper poisoning."

"Wow, That sucks," Jim seemed to genuinely feel for the girl.

"I wonder what would happen if the roles were reversed," Bones thought out loud.

"What do you mean?"

"Say you were completely human, red-iron based blood and all, and the kid had copper-based blood," Romi thought about it.

"The kid would probably be okay, health wise. Commander Spock is certainly healthy?"

"What?" Leo didn't get the connection.

"Commander Spock, the oh-so-scary Vulcan Instruction, is actually half-human."

"You are so bullshitting me right now." Jim said, plopping sweet and sour pork in his mouth.

"No, truly. His mom's human. His Dad's some big-wig Ambassador-type person so that's how he probably got away with it."

"What about your parents?" Jim asked.

"Other way around. My dad's human."

"I've been meaning to ask, how did that happen anyway. I mean, you don't exactly see Vulcans here that much. And most of them are already married."

She ate in silence for a few moments. "To answer those questions in order: if my Aunt Valentina is to be believed, my mother came for the pasta and stayed for the sausage if you know what I mean."

"Gross," Bones grumbled.

"Secondly, Vulcans have a rather Victorian attitude towards sex, so they engage their kids pretty young, around seven or eight. Saves time for when they're older," She also briefly wondered if she should tell them about the _other _thing involving Vulcan relationships. Romi decided that it was none of her business, and while that usually hadn't stopped her before, this was different.

"So your mom's a heartbreaker?"

"_Hardly_ Jim, the practice is dying out. Also, given their less-than-traditional union, they decided it'd be unfair if they bonded me to someone I wouldn't see for twenty-plus years."

Bones wasn't sure why that statement put him in a good mood, but it did.


	7. Cowboy

The second semester started, and, weirdly, Bones and Romi _did _end up having a class together, Exobiology 105. Commonly referred to on campus as 'Grossology' given the strange and sometimes barf worthy presentations Professor Sharv would give on the stranger points of different species. He had a sick sense of humor for an Andorian.

Which was why Romi was in her bathroom on a Friday afternoon, watching a grown man upchuck most of his lunch. After a rather… illuminating lecture on the Ishvallan Cow's digestive system, most of the student body had been looking pretty pale. That, and combined with all the late nights and the fact that there had been a nasty case of the flu going around, the poor Doctor hadn't stood a chance.

"This is so unfair," Len complained, "How are you not bent over a toilet right now?"

"McCoy, I was raised by a Virologist. That woman did not pull any punches when it came to educating me about some of the strangest and most gruesome ways to die. I was immunized from about 98.2% of all diseases known to the Federation by the time I was fourteen."

"Seriously?"

"I had so many needless shoved in my arm one of my teachers told the police I was shooting up heroine. Plus, there's nothing to give you an iron gullet like watching a Ceti Eridani hookworm chew it's way out of it's host-mother's uterus." She shivered.

McCoy glared at her from the edge of the toilet seat. She handed him a wet rag and some mint gum, as if she did this with him every time he voided his stomach of its contents. Why couldn't she have been around after Jocelyn walked out on him, and he had been drinking most of his meals for over a month.

Bones sighed, damnit, she was making it really hard for him to not like her.

"I'm not sick," he repeated for the twelfth time in the past hour, as if he could bully his body into getting better. _Stubborn American _Romi thought. Jim, as usual, had met up with a hot-looking girl and they probably wouldn't see him until Monday, hung-over and with some kind of weird rash. For once, that was a good thing considering Len would be humiliated if Jim saw him like this.

"Sure, of course you're not," she had briefly considered taking him back to his own room, but the man was way too far gone for that. She knew how to take care of sick people, caring for her own roommate, Judith, or her father when the man had been far too stubborn to go to a doctor. First things, first though, the man needed rest, she could get the things she needed.

She pulled on his arm in an attempt to get him off up the floor, "Come on, cowboy, you need rest,"

"I'm fine," he grumbled out. Romi sighed, this was obviously going to be an uphill battle.

"Seriously? Len, you're sick. You can either let me help you, or I'll drag your sorry ass to the clinic." Sick in front of his colleagues, that was another thing definitely _not _on Doctor McCoy's to-do list. Weary in body in mind, he relented, "Only for a few minutes,"

She attempted to help him up from the tile floor but he resisted her coddling. "I'm not sick," he growled out between clenched teeth, holding onto the edge of the sink as he pushed himself up to his feet in determination. Unfortunately, he stood up to quickly. His eyes once again losing focus, another wave of nausea threatening to make him fall back on the floor. Leaning over, he barely held on for balance, hating his usually sturdy legs for the one time they have to give out.

He felt her small shoulder loge under his, her slim but firm arm wrapping around his back for support, "Just hold on, cowboy,"

He found that he couldn't fight her any more as he held onto her and she helped him walk the ten feet from the bathroom to the bed. Grudgingly, he marveled at her strength, knowing he must be dead weight by now. At the bed, she quickly pulled out the covers and sat him down on its edge.

"Just lay back, rest," She untangled herself from him and he decided to give in, the prospect of sleep utterly tempting. Then her hands stopped him.

"No, wait just a sec,"

"Make up your mind, woman" he growled, looking at her through blurry eyes, not knowing that his usual growl sounded like something that came from a newborn cub's.

"You probably can't get comfortable with this thing on you," he felt her fingers work the fastenings on his uniform jacket, revealing the black undershirt he usually wore beneath. She took his shoes off before he could protest he could do it himself. Leonard sensed her hesitation then heard the zipper go down as she knelt on the ground and took his pants off. He wasn't sure if he was trembling was coming from her hands brushing against his legs or the flu. He was completely aware she was undressing him.

"Huh, boxer boy," she said, idly, tucking him under the covers. "_Now_ lie down." She helped him recline against the cool sheets; he had to admit it took the sharp edge off his headache.

"Just rest, cowboy," he soon fell into a deep and soothing unconsciousness.

* * *

Romi looked down on his sleeping form, he looked cute when he slept, not as angry. The hard lines of bitterness disappeared from his face. Some might even call him handsome.

With a little sigh, she left her bedroom and walked down the stairs to the dorm kitchen.

The cooking area consisted of a pitifully small corner that consisted of a refrigerator, a stove, an oven, and a sink. A tall cupboard held a scant amount of dishes and cutlery for the vast space in provided, and a table with a few mismatched chairs.

Sighing, she set about her work.

* * *

A short while later, she held a steaming mug in hand. She approached her room, closing the door behind her and at once noticing that Len had kick off the comforter. His short brown hair was tousled on the pillow, and his shirt was off- he probably had unconsciously taken it off- and now she could perfectly see the soft tufts of hair that dusted his sweaty chest and gathered midway in a thin line to disappear into the waistband of his boxers.

She barely managed not to drop the mug.

Wetting her lower lip she hungrily looked him up and down. She'd known some attractive men in her time, but this was somehow totally different. His chest was tanned from a life outdoors, the muscles beneath not bulky like some men she knew, but solid and _quite _well defined. Trim and firm and not an ounce to spare. Disheveled, and looking totally _male_ he looked like he had just had a wicked night of pleasure.

_Damn, girl, you _really _need to get some_

Ignoring the tenseness growing in her lower area, she debating letting him rest. Never the less, he needed some substance in him.

She gently shook him awake. "I brought you something to drink, you need any help sitting up to drink it?" she was intentionally challenging him, knowing he would try to do it himself. She didn't want to risk touching him, Romi could not be held accountable for her actions if that happened.

"I'm not an invalid," his arms shook badly as he used them for leverage, and twice she barely refrained from reaching over and trying to help. He took the mug from her, looked into it and took a sip. She tried to not look at his naked chest but found it utterly impossible.

"Ugh, what is that?" Not that it tasted bad, but his stomach couldn't handle much at the moment.

"Tea, my mom used to make it for me when I was sick, I found the ingredients" he took a tentative sniff and continued to drink it, Romi continued to talk, "The herbs in there have been proven to inhibit the movement of neutrophils, improve the function of protective cilia, and contribute to longer-lasting more vasodilated, _erections._" Wow, Romi, smooth. You're just asking for it, aren't you?

"And your mother used to give this to you?" he barely contained a yawn.

"Well, she used to also give it to my dad a lot, but I'd prefer not to talk about it," he quickly downed it. He gave a deep and hearty sigh, and handed the now-empty mug back to her.

"Thanks, darlin', I am such an ass," Wither his tongue was loosened by his sickness or a penitent heart, Romi didn't know. But before she could get together a response, his eyes had once again fallen closed.

Romi stared at him awhile after his breathing grew even and peaceful. Her eyelids began drooping. She quickly changed into her pajamas- not wanting to risk him waking up and seeing her undressing, despite the odds against that happening were pretty high- she wore a snug tank-top and track shorts. She rarely wore underwear to bed.

She crawled in beside Len. The bed was small, so not touching him was difficult. She pulled the covers up to her chin and braved a look in his direction.

He hadn't stirred, hell, he probably hadn't even realized she was there. Romi began to relax and rolled to her side to watch him as he slept. Weariness and a warm, happy contentment overtaking her, she closed her eyes.


	8. Chapter 8

Leonard awoke some time later to a disjointed reality. His memories were vague and blurry, and he couldn't remember where he was or why he wasn't wearing any clothes. And that warmth radiating on his side did not belong to any kind of blanket.

He looked over. Romi was sleeping peacefully, curling into him as if he were a favorite blanket. Her arm was wrapped around his bare chest and her leg in between his. He gulped. Romi's warm thigh was right on top of his shaft, which right now felt harder than it ever had in his life.

Dear God, what had happened last night? The last thing he remembered was Romi dragging him to her room after Exobiology 105, and then… Oh God she had _undressed _him, he remembered that _quite_ specifically. _Come on McCoy, think!_ He looked at her, actually looked. As much as the wicked night of pleasure theory was plausible, he belatedly realized that she wasn't naked. Yep, Romi DiValdi was very much clothed. In his experience, most people didn't put their pajamas on after having sex.

Unfortunately that did not help the fact that a very warm and soft part of her was pressed quite intimately against a warm and very, very _hard_ part of him. Romi murmured in her sleep, the sound sweet and innocent, and wiggled her hips slightly, nestling deeper into him.

Yep, he was going to die.

And here he thought it was going to be liver failure or Jocelyn running him over with a car. No, apparently it was just going to be a cute Vulcan with boundary issues and warm thighs.

He needed to extract himself, now. If he could manage that without waking her, he could then get up, head for the shower, make lots of noise, wake her up, and she would never know he currently had the hugest boner in the history of mankind for her. If she remembered anything, she could write it off as nothing more than a dream.

Just as he tried to extract her arm from around him, she clamped down. Still asleep, she made a throaty, moaning noise and arched into him, unconsciously forbidding him to leave. Her legs further tangled themselves into his.

Swearing under his breath, McCoy halted his retreat. Mostly because he didn't want to risk waking her, but also because _Oh God_ did she feel unbelievably good as she snuggled close, all warm and supple from sleep, and refused to let him go.

With her pressed up oh-so close to him, how could he possibly resist. Len couldn't help himself, he was, after all, only human. And he hadn't had any in _so _long. He lowered his head, nosing into the fringe of her pretty blonde hair until he reached her pointed ear. Promising to hate himself later, he pressed a small kiss into the adorable shell.

Romi hummed blissfully, tilting her head and giving him better access, her hand tracing down, her path exceedingly clear.

His head shot up.

He was almost out of time.

Len pulled his arms away from her and quickly stood up. He ran the ten feet from the bed to the bathroom, dropping his underwear and jumping into the shower without waiting for the water to warm up. The sudden cold certainly did the trick of his little _problem._ He grabbed a bar of soap and threw himself into his cleaning ritual, pretending to Romi and a lot to himself that this was where he had been all along. Not kissing Romi as she moaned throatily and tried to cop a feel while he was mostly naked in her bed.

_What kiss?_

_What bed?_

Nope, Len's been here the whole time, scrubbing away.

"McCoy?" a sleepy voice came from the other side of the door.

"Yeah?" he grabbed the shampoo and poured a big glob, ignoring the fact that he would later smell like vanilla and lavender.

"Have you… been up long?"

"Twenty minutes, maybe. Why?"

There was a pause. McCoy couldn't help but panic. Had he been too late?

"No reason,"

* * *

It had been a lie; a big, fat, Italian lie. Why?

Because while she was sleeping with McCoy, she'd dreamt about him.

It had been so sweet. Romi had imagined that he'd woken up before her, all burrowed into their bed and holding her tight. Recovered from his sickness, he'd tried to get up, probably wanting breakfast or the bathroom or something, but she hadn't let him. He was far too comfy a pillow, making her feel safe and womanly and wanted. Leaving was totally no allowed. So she'd held him tighter and teased him with the promise of something far better than breakfast. She'd pushed into him, wanting him to feel her interest, sighing happily as he gave in and kissed her ear. She was surprised at how bold she'd been, fondling a man had never been something she'd been particularly interested in, but if he had asked…

It had felt so real, more erotic than any dream she'd ever had. Even now she could still feel his lips as they pressed softly but hungrily against her. But the dream shifted after that. It went cold. The warmth of him disappeared. In confusion, her eyes had fluttered open and she'd found herself alone in bed, the man himself in her bathroom. None of it had been real.

Her disappointment was as bitter as it was baffling.

Why was she dreaming about Len in the first place? Why was the idea of waking up to his kisses so exhilarating? And why would she care if a sexy dream about him turned out to be _just a dream_. This was McCoy she was talking about! Bitter, angry, racist, borderline-alcoholic Leonard McCoy!

God, it was so unfair. She headed across the hall and knocked on the door. Nyota Uhura opened the door. She looked like she was just getting ready for a run.

"Hey Romi, what's up?"

"My shower's acting up," _Thank an entire pantheon of gods for sound-proof doors._ "Can I use yours quick?"

"Sure, go ahead, I was just heading out for a run."

"Thanks," she entered into the quarters, quickly replicated a towel, stripping out of her tank top and shorts. As she flipped the faucet on and waited impatiently for his to warm up, she caught a glimpse of her naked body in the mirror over the sink. She appraised her reflection. Ungainly, she thought. Too lanky and stick-like to be really feminine.

Her friends had always told her she was crazy. That she wasn't short, just 'fun sized'. They'd sworn that they'd kill for her legs. Her blonde hair. Her green eyes. They'd even called her lovely.

She'd rolled her eyes at the description. She wasn't lovely, she just had sweet friends. Judith was tall, with wavy brown hair and curves she would become a serial killer for, she was honestly surprised that the woman didn't model the clothes she designed. Plus, her German accent was cute. Yao Lin, on the other hand, had the face of a china doll. More cute than outright beautiful, her almond-shaped eyes were utterly adorable, and her raven locks didn't know the definition of a bad hair day. You'd never guess the girl was a prodigy in theoretical physics.

Romi, on the other hand, was a warrior, not a lady. She could take all comers in a fight and probably win. She sighed in misery.

_Screw this, _she thought, _I don't have time to feel sorry for myself._

She turned slightly to the side, about to get into the shower, and froze as she caught the change in the mirror. By turning just three point five inches to the left, her reflection was transformed. The side view accentuated the swell of her tiny breasts. The high, pert curve of her ass met with surprising grace to her lower back. Her ears, combined with her short hair made her look like the pixie Kirk always called her.

Unbidden, her imagination conjured Leonard behind her, every bit as naked and planting soft, urgent kisses on her shoulders. Her observations from last night were not unnoticed. Barefoot, she was about half a foot shorter than he was. He had to lower his head to reach her. The larger dimensions of his body made hers look decidedly female as his rough hands worked their way over her skin. Len looked sexy. That didn't surprise her at all.

What surprised Romi was that the thought of Len making love to her made _her _look sexy. Her body softened under his imagined touch. Her lips parted. Her green eyes went dark. The mere thought of him had made her lovely. It had stripped her though exterior, leaving her quivering with anticipation.

And she loved it.

She gave a throaty moan, begging for him to continue. There was a deep pulse in her lower belly that hadn't been there in years. Okay, so he was irritating sure. But Len was kind. He was thoughtful and funny, in his own way. He made her laugh. He said what he meant and he meant what he said. There were no games.

The shower spat before returning to its normal spray. The sound startled her from her daydream and Len disappeared.

Romi cursed softly and stepped into the steaming, relaxing water.

* * *

About twenty-odd minutes later, Romi stepped out of the shower and wrapped the towel around her. Grabbing her clothes she stepped out of Nyota and Gaila's room and into the hallway. She was about to go into the room when she remembered that McCoy was still in there. God, she really didn't want to walk in on him changing, so she nocked first.

"Hey McCoy,"

"Yeah?" he answered.

"Are you decent?"

"Yep… are you?"

"Mostly," she walked in. McCoy was just buttoning up his uniform jacket. As usual, Katniss was playing with her bras but that wasn't important right now. They locked stares then looked away. The tension in the room was substantial. Romi decided to try and slap it right in the face.

"So I see you've recovered," she said.

"What?" He was drawn out of his own thoughts. Swing and a miss.

"Your flu, its why I dragged you to my room last night." There was another awkward pause.

"So I get going-"

"I should put on some-" Their sentences collided into each other.

McCoy went to leave, but stood in the door way for a few seconds, his back to her. "Thanks… for everything," he said.

Romi smiled, but also didn't turn to face him. "No problem, Leonard."

He gave a small nod and stepped out into the hallway. When the door closed, the people on both sides of it sighed.


	9. Chapter 9

_Sorry for the later than usual update, my flashdrive broke and I had to get a new one then re-write this chapter. Hope you enjoy!_

* * *

Getting back to his dorm room, McCoy changed into his pajamas and flopped into bed. The remnants of the flu were starting to catch up with him. It didn't take long for him for him to slip into a dreary unconsciousness.

Asleep, Leonard McCoy re-lived the events of this morning. He was beside her, just as before, but this time, he didn't hesitate, didn't try to pull away. He pressed a kiss to the shell of her pointed ear.

This time, when she started to awaken, he didn't pull back. From her ear, he pressed a kiss to her cute nose, her cheek, and both her eyelids.

Her eyelids fluttered open, and he pulled back.

Her eyes looked up at him in confusion. "Leonard-" he was fully prepared for the yelling that was sure to come.

"Lord, Romi I'm so sorry, I was completely out of line-" she put a finger to his lips.

"Stop talking," She pulled his head down and pressed her lips to his. Initially too shocked to fight it, quickly gave in. They made out, her tongue skillfully dancing with his. She tasted like spice and honey, something he could easily see himself tasting daily. He wrapped his arms around her and pressed her into the mattress. He withdrew only when need of oxygen demanded it.

"We're wearing too many clothes," He nodded in agreement. Len quickly pulled his boxers down and Romi removed her tank top and shorts. She apparently didn't wear underwear to bed.

He ran a hand down her arm, "You look so beautiful,"

"There's just one more thing," she said, and started peeling skin off behind her neck, until Romi's face had been ripped off, revealing the visage of the Ice Queen herself, Jocelyn. "Ah, much better,"

Leonard H. McCoy screamed himself awake.

* * *

He spent the rest of the day in a daze. Not knowing what else to do or how to get it off his mind, he confessed to the one person he knew who would understand, James T. Kirk. "I made out with my ex wife last night,"

Jim looked surprised "Wait, what!? As in Jocelyn, the prima bitcherina ex-wife Jocelyn?"

"The very one," Jim continued to stare at him "It was a dream, technically,"

"Oh, good, you scared me there for a second, wait, then what's the big deal?"

"She was wearing a _Mission Impossible_ Romi mask,"

"So, you were making out with Romi, then she pulled her face off and it turned out to be your ex-wife?"

"In a nutshell,"

"Wow, pretty freaky three-way don't you think?" Ah, there was the Jim he knew.

"You make it sound so devious, but it's not, and it didn't mean anything. Which is why Romi doesn't have to know," by the end of that sentence Jim wasn't sure if Bones was trying to convince him or himself.

"Whatever you say, Bones."

Gaila and Romi approached their lunch table, in the midst of a conversation.

"But thrusting is the good part," the lovely lady from Orion said. They took opposite sides of a table. Gaila had some pancakes and fruit. Romi had bread, green grapes, and a hot beverage that looked like coffee.

"But there's more than thrusting," Romi pointed out. Jim was instantly interested in the conversation. Instead of talking about clothes, makeup, and music like regular women, the two mostly talked about- you guessed it- sex. As an Orion, Gaila was practically obsessed with the subject and Romi was just naturally open about it. And apparently Uhura was such a prude and refused to speak with her about it, so there they were. He usually always regretted it whenever he listened in on one of their conversations.

The Orion's eyebrows drew together.

"Well, there's also the kissing and touching and licking and learning- and insert deity of your choice knows I love those parts." She took a sip of her hot beverage, "Fast can be good, but slow is so, _so_ good. It's like a fine wine, you don't just down it, you have to _savor_ it," She was lowering her voice to a _very _sexy pitch, her first language being Italian making it easier, "How does it smell? How does it unfold on your tongue? How long does it take for the heat to stroke through you inside? Why would you want anything less than the slow, exhilarating process of you learning their body, and they learning yours? Learning _exactly _what you like where you like it. Going from top to bottom in with excruciatingly thorough movements?" She took another drink, "But then again, rolling around on the floor, ripping each other's clothes off, going at it as if possessed by demons has its own appeal as well,"

The three other people at the table stared at her openly. Bones was honestly wondering why this conversation wasn't being overheard. Then again, most of the occupants of the lunchroom looked half-dead, and the three cadets sitting further down the table actually looked like they were sleeping. He was trying to ignore the fact that his pants were starting to feel a bit too tight.

"Damn, girl!" Gaila exclaimed, "You could read an engineering textbook and make it sound erotic! You've been holding out on me!"

Romi shrugged. "I've vowed to never use my powers for evil." Bones awkwardly cleared his throat.

"So, uh, Romi, what are you drinking?" Awkward thy name is McCoy.

"Tea," she said, taking another sip.

"Tea?" he said, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, chai to be precise. It gives me the boost I need in the morning."

"That's what coffee's for," he said, indicating his own steaming mug. Romi wrinkled her nose like she smelled something bad.

"Yuk, I hate coffee, I can never figure out how you humans can even stomach the stuff."

"It's certainly an acquired taste, like bourbon or whiskey," plus, he practically lived off all of those things.

"Well, as I do not drink bourbon or whiskey, your point is moot." She popped a piece of bread in her mouth. Leonard frowned. He could rarely win anything with her. He still wondered why he even tried.

* * *

With it being the weekend and all, Romi had little to do on the Academy grounds. Hell, she had little to do in general. Apparently it was American football season, but she didn't really watch sports, with the exception of the occasional soccer game with her dad. She could be studying, but that would be boring. There was one thing that she could do…. But it was slightly illegal and totally dangerous. Jim would so approve.

Going back to her room, she changed and headed for the gym.

* * *

She really wasn't sure how she got dragged into this. One minute she was at the punching bags, the next she was about to go Tal-Shire all over a girl's ass. Romi had promised her father she would never use Tal-Shire except in self-defense, but this was different. Namely, Livy McClain pissed her off. She was just so… phony. And a bitch, a total, massive, bitch. And she was the undefeated fight club champion. She couldn't allow that. Not one bit.

They climbed into the ring, the cadets gathered there placed their bets on one side or the other.

"In this corner, the lovely lady from Italy, newcomer Romi DiValdi! Weighing in at 125 pounds, but don't let her size fool you, folks, she packs one hell of a punch!" Romi schooled her face into an expressionless mask of Vulcan serenity. "And in this corner, our long standing champion, the one, the only, Livy McClain! Weighing at 130 pounds she has gone undefeated all year! Will this match just be another notch on her belt, or will the newcomer break her record? Ready, FIGHT!"

They circled each other, like jungle cats, sizing each other up.

_First Lesson: Mental blows come before fists._

Livy made the first move, with a right cross that Romi easily deflected. Then, using two fingers, poked a nerve cluster at the base of Lira's neck. It wasn't a Vulcan Nerve Pinch, which required telepathy, but it was similar to it in the most basic sense. Lira fell to one knee. Romi fought back a smirk.

_Second Lesson: Keep to the high ground_

"You little bitch," Livy leaped up from the ground. Romi did a spinning kick into the side of her chest, sending her over. She heard a faint crunch of bone, and knew the girl would probably have a fractured rib. The release of endorphins that blocked pain receptors would keep her fighting, though.

Livy got up again; this time came at her from both sides, punches flying. Romi was able to black most of them, but a stray one hit her in the bicep. It didn't hurt in the least. Unfortunately, she was so busy deflecting punches that she didn't notice when Livy went for a spinning kick. That one impacted right into the side of Romi's face. Romi fell onto the mat, wow, that hadn't happened in a while. She flexed her jaw; it wasn't dislocated or broken, luckily.

_Third Lesson: Know your own body_

It was time to stop playing with her. Romi got back up before the announcer could count down, and went back into a defensive position.

Jim watched from the audience. When Gaila had dragged him by the hand to tell him Romi was doing fight club, he hadn't believed it. Weren't Vulcans supposed to be pacifists or something? Then again, the girl was half human.

Amazement went through him as he watched her fight. It wasn't any style he had seen before, certainly nothing they had gone over in class. Maybe some sort of secret Vulcan karate-thingy.

He tensed when she got kicked in the face, hoping to insert deity of your choice that he wouldn't have to carry her to the clinic to get Bones to fix her up. But, Romi got back up on her feet. _That's my girl,_ he thought.

He would never in a million years admit it, but his feelings for Romi were quite strong. Not the gooey-oozy emotional romantic love crap, but a deeper, altruistic love. She was the little sister he had always secretly wanted. Someone that would look up to him, someone he could protect. Though, admittedly, Romi DiValdi was perfectly capable of taking care of herself. Jim was drawn out of his thoughts when he heard a snap of bone.

Livy had attempted another spinning kick, this time Romi had grabbed her leg and broken it. To her credit, the girl didn't even scream. But the fight was certainly done. Jim and two other cadets went up into the arena. He went to Romi, the other two went to Livy, supposedly to help the girl to the Academy clinic. Romi's face was still utterly impassive. It was more than a little creepy.

"You okay?" he asked. She seemed to snap out of it.

"I think I dislocated my shoulder," she said, though she didn't look or sound like she was in any pain.

"Okay, I'll take you over to Bones, you'll be good as new,"

"Not necessary," she grabbed her shoulder and pushed on it. Jim heard a weird popping sound, like knuckles cracking but louder. Did she just-?

"All better," Romi said, rolling both her shoulders. Yes, she just did.

* * *

"So you're sure that your fall was completely natural?" Doctor McCoy asked for what felt like the hundredth time.

"Of course, Doctor," the girl said, rolling her eyes. Livy McClain had been carried in here half an hour ago. Her fibula had been broken. She claimed that she had just fallen down the stairs. He didn't believe a word of it. This was a compound fracture, not a spiral fracture that came from a fall. But with the girl refusing to say anything, he couldn't do anything about it. He had set her leg and fixed the break, ignoring the way she had blatantly flirted with him to get him to stop asking questions.

"You sure you don't want me to call the student counselor for you?"

"I'm sure," he sighed. People could be stubborn at times. After the girl had left, he thought about another patient of his.

It had been during his first year residency at the Jackson Memorial Hospital in Mississippi. His attending had given him the file.

"_Caucasian male, early fifties. There's an antique bullet in his right foot," the older doctor had said, and lead him into a patient's room._

"_Mr…Lorenzo, this is Doctor McCoy, he'll be treating you today." The man wasn't alone; by his side was a young woman, about college age. She had her long blonde hair braided back._

"_A pleasure," he said._

"_Same, here," he nodded from the biobed._

"_Now, mind telling me what happened?" he gathered the necessary materials from the nearby supply closet._

"_I shot myself in the foot," he said, with some reluctance. The girl chuckled under her breath. He shot her a look._

"_And how did that happen?" he asked. No response._

"_If you won't tell him I will," she threatened. Still nothing._

"_Madre de Dio, Papa," she sighed._

"_Fine," he grumbled. "I was at a law enforcement conference in town and there was a firearms exhibit. They asked for volunteers. Long story short, the damn gun had a hair trigger."_

"_That's certainly an… interesting story."_

"_Hey! You better not laugh, alright. I got a whole precinct back home that's never going to let me live this down." McCoy first took the tweezers and the magnet to remove the bullet, then a dermal and bone regenerator over the wound site._

"_Not to mention, mama," he looked over to her._

"_Don't tell your mother," Lorenzo said, the girl once again rolled her eyes._

"_I won't have to say a word. You come home with a bandage around your foot and she'll know."_

"_Actually," he said, "with modern medicine you probably won't even have a scar." Also, he was probably the first person in over a hundred years to be wounded by a firearm. _

"_Good," the patient said, "Because if my wife ever finds out about this, I'm a dead man, if you know what I'm saying?" McCoy nodded. "Moroso, could you get me some coffee, please?" she rolled her eyes again._

"_Sure papa, be right back." She walked out._

"_Do you have children, Doctor McCoy?"_

"_Not yet, but my wife's working on it back home." He smiled, the laugh lines around his face more apparent._

"_Hard to believe she just turned nineteen," he sighed. It was the same sigh his father had when discussing when Len had been growing up._

"_She a freshmen in college this year?" he was more making conversation at this point._

"_No, just graduated." Len looked up at him._

"_No,"_

"_Yes, our little genius. She skipped a couple of grades. Enrolled when she was just sixteen."_

"_Wow," he finished with the regenerator. "That's it, sir. You're free to go." He got up._

"_Thank you, Doctor McCoy." He said. "Also, my name is Lorenzo, Lorenzo DiValdi."_

McCoy suddenly snapped out of the memory.


	10. Chapter 10

Leonard couldn't stop looking at Romi the next day. Had they really met two years ago? Though logically it was a stupid question to ask himself, he just couldn't get it out of his mind.

Okay, Romi was Italian. Italians had large families. It was entirely possible that he had just met her uncle or cousin that happened to look like her. No, that wasn't entirely plausible. Okay, the girl he saw had long blonde hair. Romi had short blonde hair. Then again, a simple trip to the barbershop would fix that.

On his PADD, McCoy Internet search on Romi DiValdi. What came up were a few papers she had written for astrophysics magazines, her birth certificate, and a link to her mother T'Kohl DiValdi's work. Curious, he clicked on the link.

T'Kohl DiValdi was a Vulcan, with a face that could be almost any age, given the extended lifespans of Vulcans. She kept her chocolate brown hair short, like almost all Vulcans did, but it looked surprisingly good on her. Instead of stern and unapproachable like most Vulcans looked, Dr. DiValdi looked more neutral, like a counselor just listening to your problems. Romi looked a lot like her, but without the pointed eyebrows. In fact, if this was a glimpse of Romi thirty-odd years into the future, he didn't mind what he was seeing.

_Shut up brain, _he told himself.

"Hey Bones!" Jim called, entering their shared dorm room. He quickly closed the search browser. "Wow, that was a porn hide if I ever saw it." He jumped onto his bed. "So what are you looking at?"

Bones gave the kid his trademark scowl. "None of your business, Jim."

"Whatever," he shrugged. "Romi's having a movie marathon tonight, you in?" A chance to be around Romi? _Hell Yes_

_Seriously brain, shut up _he told himself again. McCoy shrugged, "Why not? It's not like I have anything better to do."

_Sure, just keep telling yourself that McCoy._

* * *

Romi had told them to show up in comfy clothes and show up around six. When they got there, Romi was getting some popcorn out of the replicator. Katniss was, as usual, playing around in the underwear drawer.

"Alright, our movie line up is 'the Best of Joss Whedon' Starting with _Serenity_, and _Avengers,"_

"That sounds awesome," Jim said, and Leonard couldn't complain about her choice in cinema.

They had finished _Serenity _and were just in the middle of the alien invasion in _Avengers _when there was a tap on the door.

"I'll get it," Jim said, getting up from his position on the floor. With her unusually sharp ears, Romi picked up an exchanging of giggles. And Jim scurrying across the hall with Gaila. She looked over at Len, _Well, it's now or never._

While Jim was probably having a quickie with the Orion across the hall, Romi paused the movie and looked over at Leonard.

"Okay, what's up?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Leonard, you're acting weird, even by my standards," He sighed, and decided to just come out with it.

"Two years ago I think I met you when I treated a man, who I think was your father, shot himself in the foot."

Romi looked at him with a completely blank expression for half a second. _"That's _what this is all about?" Romi asked, "Len, if you want to ask me a question, don't beat around the bush about it, just ask me." Huh, he honestly hadn't thought of that. She pulled out a laser pointer and shined it on the floor. Katniss went after it, amazingly speedy despite being vertically challenged.

"Okay, two years ago did your father shoot himself in the foot while in Jackson, Mississippi?"

"I don't remember the specific town name, but it was in the south part of America, but yeah,"

"Did you used to have long hair?"

"Yes,"

"Was it blonde?"

"I think that one's obvious,"

"Why did you cut it?"

Romi paused for a moment. "After I broke it off with my fiancé, I needed a change. Getting a brand new hair cut seemed to be the first step towards that. Besides, short hair is just naturally easier to manage."

"I guess so," There was another pause, but it wasn't as awkward. He wanted to ask more questions, but he didn't think that it would be appropriate.

"Three years, me and Connor." she said.

"I wasn't going to ask," honestly, he wasn't. He wanted to, but he wasn't.

"Yes, you were not asking quite loudly." She gave him a sideways glance and sighed, "We were engaged for about six months. Then, when I was trying on wedding dresses, his mother starts talking at me about fertility treatments and prenatal care and baby clothes and the next thing I knew I was crawling out the bathroom window wearing a knockoff Vera Wang."

"You panicked," it wasn't a question.

"Pretty much, after about a week of hiding out at my parent's, that's when my dad shot himself by the way, I gave Connor the ring back." He didn't say anything, he didn't have to, "I figured it would be kinder that way, you know? A lot better then a couple years down the road and having to involve lawyers."

"No argument here," his own divorce had been particularly messy. So the thought that Romi had spared the kid made him like her a lot more.

"So, why were you even thinking about this in the first place?" She turned the movie back on, thoroughly enjoying seeing hot men kicking ass.

"I don't know, a girl came into sickbay the other day with a broken leg, girl's fibula was totally smashed and she tried to tell me that it was because she fell down the stairs." Unnoticed by him, Romi tensed up. "And I guess it just got me thinking about other patients, your father being one of the most stubborn and interesting ones I've ever had."

Romi relaxed, "Yeah, that's my dad for you," she smiled, "He seems really tough, but really he's… we'll he's actually a bit like you actually, cowboy." That surprised him, and Len was blatantly staring at her "You know, he tries to be tough and all, but really he's just a huge teddy bear underneath." He scowled at her, Romi just smirked.

He had no idea how cute he was when he pouted.


End file.
